Fuel Cell Technologies Office Newsletter: May 2016

The May 2016 issue of the Fuel Cell Technologies Office (FCTO) newsletter includes stories in these categories:

In the News

Energy Department Announces Climate Action Champion, City of San Francisco, Embracing Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies

On May 20, the Energy Department's (DOE’s) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) announced that the city of San Francisco has been selected as the first Climate Action Champion to pursue hydrogen and fuel cell technologies for local transportation, in addition to new analysis projects by Strategic Analysis, Inc. The nearly $4.75 million in funding for both efforts will go toward the development of education and outreach programs to increase the deployment of fuel cell electric vehicles and hydrogen infrastructure, as well as provide detailed cost analyses for hydrogen fuel cell systems, hydrogen storage, and hydrogen production and delivery technologies. The selections were announced by EERE’s Deputy Assistant Secretary for Transportation Reuben Sarkar during a meeting in Berkeley, California, of the International Partnership for Hydrogen and Fuel Cells in the Economy, a government partnership of 18 countries and the European Commission coordinating activities in hydrogen and fuel cells.

Senator Dorgan and Acting Assistant Secretary Friedman at 2016 Fuel Cell Technologies and Vehicle Technologies Annual Merit Review

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Fuel Cell Technologies Office (FCTO) and the Vehicle Technologies Office (VTO) announce that Senator Byron L. Dorgan (ret.) and DOE’s Acting Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, David Friedman, will deliver remarks at the 2016 Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Program and Vehicle Technologies Office Annual Merit Review and Peer Evaluation Meeting (AMR) on Monday, June 6. Each year at the AMR, projects funded by FCTO and VTO are reviewed for their technical progress. This year more than 1,800 people will come together and nearly 400 projects will be reviewed by almost 300 expert peer reviewers. The AMR is being held June 6–10 in Washington, DC.

Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles Getting a Boost in San Francisco

The Energy Department recently posted a blog about the city of San Francisco being named the first Climate Action Champion to be focused on hydrogen and fuel cells in the United States by the Energy Department’s Fuel Cell Technologies Office. Read Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles Getting a Boost in San Francisco to learn more about how the city has established some of the most aggressive climate and sustainability targets in the nation. Ramping up the deployment of fuel cell electric vehicles and hydrogen infrastructure are critical components of San Francisco’s action plan.

Fuel Cell Companies Commit to Hiring Veterans through Joining Forces Initiative

The Energy Department recently posted a blog about Joining Forces, a nationwide initiative calling all Americans to rally around service members, veterans, and their families. In April 2015, the First Lady participated in an event celebrating how far we have come and announcing new private-sector commitments to train or hire 90,000 veterans and military spouses. Read Fuel Cell Companies Commit to Hiring Veterans through Joining Forces Initiative to learn more about two Fuel Cell Technologies Office-supported companies that were acknowledged at the event for their commitment to these efforts.

Fuel Cell Technologies Staff Educate on Take Your Kids to Work Day

Nearly 200 kids visited the Department of Energy on Take Your Daughters and Sons to Work Day, March 25, 2016. FCTO Fellows volunteered to engage with the students and teach them about hydrogen and fuel cells. Sarah Studer developed a workshop activity for children to make LED “flashlights” and learn about how electrons flow through circuits. This knowledge came in useful later in the day when Laura Hill and Studer demonstrated how fuel cells convert hydrogen (made from water electrolysis) into power to run a car or fan.

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Webinars and Workshops

Webinar May 26: Hydrogen Fuel Cells for Small Unmanned Air Vehicles

FCTO, in collaboration with the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL), presented a live webinar titled "Hydrogen Fuel Cells for Small Unmanned Air Vehicles" on Thursday, May 26. NRL has contributed to fundamental and applied fuel cell technology research for well over a decade and has collaborated with the FCTO through inter-agency working groups. In the spirit of this collaboration, the FCTO presented this webinar that highlighted NRL’s incorporation of fuel cells into their small unmanned air vehicles and the resulting fuel and energy saving benefits of this technology. See slides from this webinar (recording coming soon).

Visit our website to see webinar archives or workshop presentations.

Studies, Reports, and Publications

Current US Hydrogen Production

FCTO has issued a new record on hydrogen production. Hydrogen and Fuel Cells Program Record # 16015: Current U.S. Hydrogen Production states that the United States currently produces approximately 10 million metric tons of hydrogen per year; a production scale equivalent to the fuel needs of roughly 50 million light-duty fuel cell electric vehicles.

Hydrogen Delivery Cost Projections – 2015

FCTO has released the Hydrogen and Fuel Cells Program Record # 16011: Hydrogen Delivery Cost Projections – 2015. This record provides information about the modeled cost of delivering hydrogen from a centralized production facility and dispensing to fuel cell electric vehicles in the year 2015.

GHG Emissions and Petroleum Use Reduction from Fuel Cell Deployments

FCTO has issued a new hydrogen analysis record. Hydrogen and Fuel Cells Program Record # 16003: GHG Emissions and Petroleum Use Reduction from Fuel Cell Deployments estimates the deployed numbers of fuel cell electric vehicles and stationary power in the U.S. through 2014 and the corresponding reduction in petroleum consumption and GHG emissions relative to the dominant conventional technologies.

Life-Cycle Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Petroleum Use for Current Cars

FCTO has released the Hydrogen and Fuel Cells Program Record # 16004: Life-Cycle Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Petroleum Use for Current Cars. This record calculates life-cycle GHG emissions and petroleum consumption per mile for nine current technology cars based on a range of fuel economy for each vehicle assumed at -12%/+12% of rated fuel economy.

Visit our website to access technical information about hydrogen and fuel cells. This information is provided in documents such as technical and project reports, conference proceedings and journal articles, technical presentations, and links to other websites.

National Laboratory and Principal Investigator Achievements

Sandia Researcher Chosen to Be a Part of DOE’s Early Career Research Program

Robert Kolasinski of Sandia National Laboratories has been selected as one of only 49 scientists to receive significant funding for research as part of DOE's Early Career Research Program. The effort, now in its seventh year, is designed to bolster the nation's scientific workforce by providing support to exceptional researchers during the crucial early career years, when many scientists do their most formative work. Kolasinski was selected by the Office of Fusion Energy Sciences. He is also working on FCTO’s HyMARC project.